Research Position Statement (v2)

Middle- and long-term research in information science will be confronted with three main challenges:

1. an increasing complexity of information in terms of quantity and quality which makes it difficult or even impossible to extract and understand meaning and
2. an increasing need for collaboration and communication on all geographical levels (co-located, local, regional, national, international) mainly due to the distribution of data and people and therefore knowledge and
3. an increasing complexity of information models and processes including the extension of theory and experiment with the concept of computation and simulation.

Research and Development (R&D) goals for products and services are targeting improvements within the dimensions of time, cost, and quality. In addition, models of sustainability come into focus which can be grouped into three, partially overlapping categories (cf. Shedroff):

1. social sustainability including human resource management, societal and corporate culture, communication and marketing, or fairness.
2. environmental sustainability including efficient use of materials and energy, substitution of materials, biomimicry, recycling, waste management and material flow, or transport organisation.
3. economic sustainability including governance and management, assets and operations, process and product innovation, managing intellectual property, usability, or design thinking.

Interactive Systems Research (ISR) is addressing these challenges and goals in several ways. The main goal is to enable or improve understanding (Begreifen) of the challenges, goals, and the interaction of those two domains. It does so by designing, implementing, testing, and evaluating (prototypical) information technology based solutions. Because of the multi- and interdisciplinary nature of ISR, techniques and methodologies from a variety of disciplines are applied and adopted, in particular:

• Design Science Information Systems Framework (cf. Hevner et al.)
• Interaction Design Methodology (cf. e.g. Cooper, Laurel, Buxton, Dourish)
• Computer Science and HCI methodology (cf. e.g. Norman, Shneiderman)
• Empirical Research methodology (Psychology)
• Philosophical models, e.g. (radical) Constructivism, Phenomenology
• Information Visualization and visual communication (cf. e.g. Ware, Tufte)

Methodologically the research can be grouped into four areas of activities: (1) application, development and evaluation of theories, (2) development and test of technologies, (3) design and evaluation of empirical studies and finally (4) contributions to society, economy, and sciences.

Current Main Projects

• [cICT]: converging Information and Communication Technologies and Non-Verbal Communication Support in Videoconferencing.
  
• [MARCUS]: Mobile Augmented Reality and Context in Urban Settings.
  
• [ART]: Augmented Reflection Technology (ART): using technology for therapy.
  
  
• [MRETR]: Mixed Reality Exposure Therapy and Rehabilitation Workshop 2013.
  
  
• [EducatorCollaborator Project]: Co-located and remote Communication and Collaboration in a classroom situation
  
• [ORG Serious Games project]: Sketcharoo.